Wok & Cast Iron Pans

[Grumman]

Great thread. I had never heard of Kent Rollins before. Watched several of his videos this morning and now I’m off to get some flaxseed oil and sandpaper. Early in our marriage I bought my wife some preseasoned Lodge and she hated it because everything stuck. I’m gonna follow his advice and try to fix that. Personally I love cast iron and the memories of my grandma using it.


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[Nomadx2]

This 14" pan is over 60 years old, bought it at a flee market for $15. A little clean-up and a good seasoning and it has been very good to use. Only have to wipe it down with paper towel. Make sure you get a stainless chainmail scrubber to remove any burnt on after cooking. Cast iron pans will expand the pores on their surface when heated so they will absorb some oil maintaining the non stick surface so don't use water and detergent to clean.

 

[Seth]

I love the old cast iron. As many have said it is lighter and just generally better quality. Old rusted ones can be restored using electrolysis and seasoning. While I love my griswold chicken fryer, my go to is a no name #8 from about the 1930’s bought for $3 at a thrift store.

For the wok, I have a cast iron wok but it does not get much use. Carbon steel certainly seems to perform better. Also check out a discada. The better ones are made from worn out farm discs and are a lot of fun to cook with.

 

[Brightside]

I have used cast iron exlusively for 12 years. I am making the switch to carbon steel though. Its lighter and has similar qualities.

 

[JPD350]

I took these and cleaned them up pretty good, I put them in the oven on the oven cleaning setting and it stripped them down to the raw iron. A month and a half later I really like using them but it has been a re-learning experience for cooking for sure.

 

[JPD350]

I use these two a bunch as well, the pan is a carbon steel and the one with the tort is a hand made steel which is a little thicker than the carbon, I don't know if its carbonized or not. I got both of these just a slick as can be, the comal is a bad ass perfect pancake, tortilla, sandwich grilling machine!

 

[jmez]

Anytime they look a little dry, fry a pound of bacon and just wipe with a paper towel. Seasons your pan, and we'll, you have bacon!!

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[cnelk]

This is how I clean and season my cast iron

 

[MTPipeliner]

I’ve got a couple older frying pans, and a leg less Dutch oven. Recently got a lodge Dutch oven with legs for outside cooking.

I took an angle grinder with flap disc to the new Dutch oven and smoothed out all the rough spots, it was messy and took a while, but it is extremely smooth now and works great.

A tip that took embarrassingly long to sink in for me is to preheat your pan, I know millions of recipes call for this, but for some reason I never did it and I could get scrambled eggs to be stuck hard onto Teflon when starting with a cold pan, glad I’m smarted now. I cook scrambled eggs several times a week in my cast iron, I turn it on and let it preheat and melt a little bacon grease in it while I’m cracking eggs, pour them in and let them cook for a bit before starting to flip and break them up and they don’t stick at all now, just wipe the pan out when I’m done.

When something does get stuck on I like to just use really hot water and a long handled scrub brush to remove it.

 

[treillw]

How about Staub?

They have an enamel coating on them. Does this defeat the purpose of cast iron?

I know nothing.

 

[treillw]

What diameter pan do you like? I feel like the bigger the better. (hold your comments)

 

[treillw]

I guess Le Creuset is similar to Staub as well.

 

[Robster]

I am also a huge proponent of cast iron, that's all I cook in.
BFR is also another good brand of cast.
I will say, be patient. There is a learning curve to cooking and care in cast. I can cook eggs over easy in all of my pans, but it wasn't that way to begin with, so keep at it and you'll get the hang of all the subtle nuances of cooking on cast. I think it's worth the effort!

 

[bradr3367]

Find an old griswold, clean it up, season it, enjoy. Oh, and butter it the key ingredient to cooking with cast iron.

 

[footedshaft]

Want to start cooking with cast iron - have never done so. Also would like to start messing around with a wok.

Any suggestions on quality products?

Thanks!

Want to start cooking with cast iron - have never done so. Also would like to start messing around with a wok.

Any suggestions on quality products?

Thanks!

I also would do flea market. Lodge is good cast iron but the older cast as a smooth cooking surface. Check YouTube videos on now to clean and re-treat old cast iron.

 

[Blake_08]

Agree with everyone else, try to find an old lodge. We run several cast iron pans in camp, both new and old. The best pan we have is an old 10 inch lodge that is literally smooth as glass. Much better cooking surface and we've never cooked anything in it that stuck to the pan. Also, a pan that looks ruined and in terrible shape will clean up and be salvageable most of the time. Vinegar bath and a wire brush does wonders. Good luck

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[footedshaft]

I

What diameter pan do you like? I feel like the bigger the better. (hold your comments)

like #8. I have a no name chicken fryer that is my favorite

 

[JoeDirt]

I see a few comments about grinding your cast Iron, I ruined mine doing that.

I made it so smooth the seasoning won't stick now. Grinding is just a way to skip the long seasoning process. I have my grandmas pan that's never been seasoned twice ill put up against any of your "ground" cast iron.

 

[JPD350]

I see a few comments about grinding your cast Iron, I ruined mine doing that.

I made it so smooth the seasoning won't stick now. Grinding is just a way to skip the long seasoning process. I have my grandmas pan that's never been seasoned twice ill put up against any of your "ground" cast iron.

I am curious, What do you mean your grandmas pan has never been seasoned twice? I would think that if the pan is still rocking from your grandmas era it has been getting layers of seasoning for 50 plus years.

I don't think that a smooth pan is the issue, from what I have read quality older cast iron pans had a much smoother finish than the newer pans from the 60's to present. Also if smooth was an issue why can people successfully season a smooth carbon steel pan? on my cast iron and carbon I have to chase the eggs down to the edge of the pan just to get them on the spatula and I have only been cooking on them for a month and a half

When seasoned correctly the polymerized oils will stick to smooth iron, rough iron or carbon steel with no problem, from what I have experienced in my learning curve was that the problem seems to be when the oils are not polymerized at the proper temps all over the surface, at that point the season will not hold up and will keep coming off on the food that is cooked on it.

 

[Catahoula]

I inherited my grandparents old Griswold iron. 3 different size pans, love them and are sentimental.